Dunbar Defeats Ballou for Turkey Bowl Title to Advance to States
For those following this year’s District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) football season, it was not a surprise to see Dunbar and Ballou High Schools advance to the Annual Turkey Bowl championship.
The Turkey Bowl, for Ballou and Dunbar fans, was an opportunity to meet for a rematch of a regular season game. In the first high-scoring affair, Dunbar made a couple of second-half simple adjustments that secured a 62-34 win over Ballou. The Crimson Tide followed a formula that would carry over in another victory over the Ballou Knights, this time 28-7, at Eastern High School in Northeast, D.C. on Nov. 23.
“We got away from playing the fundamentals of the game in the first game and got away from the running game, which is our bread and butter,” said Dunbar Head Coach Anthony “Bink” Vaughn, following the game played back in October. “Once we got back to the basics of running the football, we were in our comfort zone.”
The Crimson Tide rode the efforts of senior running back De’Aun Wood, who contributed 112 yards and two touchdowns to the victory. Backfield mate, senior Michael Clark (52 yards, one touchdown) and junior quarterback Brosan Dukes (nine carries, 45 yards) also contributed to the rushing attack, which amassed 217 yards.
They threw only six passes.
The Crimson Tide set the tone early when it marched 65 yards on their first possession. Freshman Terelle Rich capped off the drive with a 36-yard run.
But the Knights (6-6), who had fought for respect all season, answered when senior quarterback Kevin Hewett connected with senior Lorenza Martin Green for 46 yards to even the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.
Dunbar (8-2) responded with a 13-play, 71-yard drive with Wood scoring from a yard out.
Then came what would prove to be the turning point of the game. Following a pass interception by senior safety Duron Price, Ballou had the ball deep in Crimson Tide territory, with a first-and-goal at the nine-yard line. The Knights tried, but could get only to the two-yard line. The Dunbar defense, led by senior defensive end Josiah Sanders and senior cornerback Saki Frost, stuffed an attempt on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard. Instead of it being a tied game at halftime, Dunbar took the 14-7 lead to the locker room.
“That was a huge sequence for our defense,” noted Vaughn. “They stepped up big. It probably changed the game.”
In the second half, Dunbar’s Wood and Clark scored touchdowns on short runs in the third and fourth quarters. The win gave the Crimson Tide its second title in four years and 13th overall. Dunbar lost to Theodore Roosevelt, 26-18 last season.
Amid the hoopla and celebration going on in the post-game, Vaughn took a moment to reflect during the interview.
“I am obviously happy for the kids,” said Vaughn, a former quarterback at his alma mater. “But there is a range of emotions. My mother passed last year this time, just when she was getting ready to come to the game. I knew we had to prepare for the game, but she was on my mind. It was a difficult challenge.”
Dunbar, ranked number 17, will now play number-seven Friendship Collegiate (10-2) on Saturday in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship at Howard University. Friendship Collegiate is the defending state champion.
The DCSAA championship is also a rematch. Dunbar and Friendship Collegiate played each other on Aug. 25 and the latter prevailed 19-6. Both teams come into the game on win streaks, Dunbar with eight and Friendship with six.
They both suffered early-season losses to quality opponents. Dunbar’s two setbacks were to Friendship and to highly regarded Mount Saint Joseph of Baltimore. Friendship suffered road losses at the defending national champion, St. John’s Bosco in California and ranked Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
“This is not just a championship game between two teams,” noted Vaughn. “You have two programs who have proved themselves but somehow we don’t get the respect that others get. It is all going to be about respect.”
Good Counsel Defeats DeMatha For WCAC Title
Although the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) is regarded as one of the top conferences in the country when it comes to high school football, many suspected the championship would run through Good Counsel (10-1) and DeMatha (9-2). The two nationally ranked powers met earlier in the season and was one of the most talked about and highly anticipated games on the championships schedule.
Fans got a preview when the two met at Good Counsel and the hometeam Falcons came away with a thrilling, 35-28 overtime win over their conference rival, the DeMatha Stags.
Many expected another exciting contest between the two. But the heavy cold rain and wind gusts dictated how this game would be played at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on Nov. 21.
In the end, the difference was a four-yard Dilin Jones touchdown run in the first quarter that held up and proved to be the difference, handing the Falcons their first title since 2019.
Neither team was able to generate much offense, so it became a game of defense and capitalizing on turnovers. Both made their share but, in the end, the lone touchdown by Falcons was followed by a fumble by the Stags.
“Unreal conditions,” Good Counsel senior quarterback Frankie Weaver said, describing the weather. “I threw like four passes all night. We knew the defense had to come to play, and they answered.”
The Good Counsel senior class, regarded as one of the top in the country, had watched St. John’s win the title for the past three years.
“This senior class had great resolve,” said Good Counsel head coach Andy Stefanelli. “I feel like the manager of a heavyweight title fighter. I asked if they could do it one more time. And they rose up.”
The win secures the top ranking in the area and a place among the best in the country.
DeMatha finishes third in the area.
